Valentine's Potion
by Gamma Orionis
Summary: Lavender is determined to rekindle Ron's interest in her, but Parvati isn't sure it's a good idea. Written for homework on Hogwarts Online II.


Author's Notes: Written for personal homework assigned by Professor Lola on Hogwarts Online II.

_**Pairing**__: Lavender Brown/Ron Weasley  
__**Prompt**__: __"I can't believe you're doing this!" "Well... everything is fair in love and war, isn't it?"  
__**Theme**__:__ It's Valentine's day and Lavender is desperate to get Ron's attention._

I can't be bothered to check the books to see if Ron and Lavender were actually a couple on Valentine's day, but we're going to pretend they were, 'kay?

Enjoy!

)O(

"Don't you think," Parvati said, sitting down next to Lavender at the Gryffindor table and looking at her seriously, "that this may be taking things a little too far?"

Lavender looked up innocently. "What?"

"You _know…_" Parvati raised an eyebrow and stared pointedly at Lavender.

She blushed.

Telling Parvati about the love potion she was planning on giving Ron, Lavender reflected, might not have been as good an idea as giving him the potion in the first place had been. But Lavender would, after all, not have had a chance at making a decent potion if she had been trying to do it on her own. Parvati was much better at that sort of thing than Lavender was, and if Lavender really wanted a potion to make Ron lust after her, instead of one that would turn him into a ball of slime, she couldn't make it on her own.

But, of course, once she got Parvati in on the matter, Parvati had to start dragging up issues of morality.

"It's not as though the potion's going to last forever or anything," Lavender said in an undertone, glancing around the Great Hall to be sure no one would overhear them. "It'll just last a day or two. Just long enough to remind Ron why we're going out. Long enough to remind him that he loves me. Or, at least, really, really likes me."

"I don't think it works like that, Lavender. I think once the potion wears off, he'll probably just hate you even more in comparison. _Especially_ if he works out that you gave him the potion."

Lavender rolled her eyes. "First off, he's not going to work out that I gave him the potion. And second, no he _won't_. Maybe that would happen if he didn't already love me, but he does. It's like I said, the potion is just to remind him."

Parvati chewed her lip. "I don't know…"

"Look, it's not as though it has anything to do with you!" Lavender snapped, finally losing patience with her friend. "You helped me make the potion. What I do with it now isn't any of your business."

Parvati looked hurt. "It may not be my business as a potion-maker, but it is my business as your friend!"

"Yeah, I know you're my friend, all right? And since you're my friend, you're going to accept that I'm doing this and trust my judgement, right?"

"But–"

"Shh!" Lavender had spotted Ron approaching, and she swivelled on her seat to face him, a big smile all over her face. "Hi Won-won!"

Ron had already started pouring himself a goblet of pumpkin juice, but the second the words "Won-won" left Lavender's lips, the jug slipped from his hands and smashed on the ground. He turned as red as his hair and quickly bent down to try to clean up.

Lavender glanced around furtively, making sure no one but Parvati was watching, then reached for the vial of love potion in her pocket.

"I still can't believe you're doing this," Parvati said in a whisper. She was watching Ron warily as he mopped uselessly at the juice with a napkin.

"Hey," said Lavender, tucking a loose strand of hair back behind her ear and dumping the love potion into Ron's pumpkin juice, "All's fair in love and war, isn't it?"

"Yes, but–"

"Parvati." Lavender dropped the vial back into her bag and looked up seriously at her friend. "I'm not going to sit around on Valentine's day – _Valentine's day, for God's sake!_ – and have my boyfriend ignore me."

"Is it Valentine's day?" Ron asked, lifting his head and looking worried. Lavender shot Parvati a "see-what-I-mean?" look.

"Yes, Won-won," she cooed. "But don't worry about it. You didn't need to get me chocolates or anything like that. Just knowing you care about me is enough."

"Um… right," Ron muttered. Lavender resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and she watched eagerly – though all too aware of Parvati's eyes on her too – as Ron straightened, as he sat at the table, and as he lifted the spiked pumpkin juice to his lips.

)O(

_Fin_


End file.
